Chapter 2 Flashcards
How was gas found in the early days
Oil was found based on visual monitoring. Gas seeps at the surface or accidentally finds during drilling for water.
What is Geophysics
The science of studying the physical processes and physical properties of Earth and its surrounding environment and utilization of quantitative methods for their analysis.
Objective is to locate or detect the presence of subsurface structures or bodies and determine their size, shape, depth, and physical properties.
What does it mean to be passive or active when determining if the area contains oil?
Passive: Using the methods of natural fields of earth to carry out analysis
Active: Using artificial methods to carry out analysis
What are the 5 geophysical methods and one additional method engineers are able to get a hand on sub surface and if there is a hydrocarbon rersevoir and the characteristics/worth of it.
Gravity
Magnetic
electromagnetic
Electrical surveying
seismic surveying
well logging
Describe how we would use gravity to determine if there is oil underground.
The gravitational field is caused by the variation in the densities of subsurface rocks
Measures the change in acceleration due to gravity
the gravity anomalies which are the deviation from the geoid as a pre-defined reference level will be reported
Geoid is a surface over which the gravitational field has the same value
Describe how we would use magnetic to determine if there is oil underground.
Investigates the subsurface geology by measuring the strength by measuring the strength or intensity of the Earth’s magnetic field
This measures the magnetic anomalies which are the deviations from Earth’s magnetic field.
These magnetic anomalies are caused by lateral variation in magnetic susceptibility
Magnetic susceptibility is a dimensionless property which is a measure of how susceptible a material is to becoming magnetized.
Describe how we would use magnetic to determine if there is oil underground.
A rock that contains water has more electromagneticvity
use the response of the ground to the propagation of incident alternating electromagnetic waves, made up of two orthogonal vector components, an electrical intensity (E) and a magnetizing force (H) in a plane perpendicular to the direction of travel.
A hydrocarbon filled reservoir will typically have high resistivity compared with shale and a water filled reservoirs. This method therefore has the unique potential of distinguishing between a hydrocarbon filled and a water filled reservoir.
Is we put eletrcity into a well we can tell by the resistivity if there is water or oil.
What are the drawbacks of using electromagnetic methods
Results may be confused by non-economic sources such as water bearing zones.
Depth is too low
Ratio can be off and hard to determine
Describe how we would use electrical surveying to determine if there is oil underground.
Employ direct currents or low frequency alternating currents to investigate the electrical properties of the subsurface.
Put into the ground and the resulting potential differences are measured at the surface. Deviations from the pattern of potential differences for homogeneous ground provide information on the form and electrical properties of subsurface inhomogeneities.
What are the drawbacks of using electrical surveying methods
Limited to simple structural configuration. Deviation is a problem
Depth
The effects of near-surface resistivity variations can mask the effects of deeper variations.
Interpretations are ambiguous
Describe how we would use seismic surveying to determine if there is oil underground.
seismic waves are created by a controlled source and propagate through the underground layers.
these travel times may be converted into depth values and subsurface interfaces will be mapped based on the results.
At every layer it travels at different speeds, we can then get an idea of what’s underground
Describe how we would use well logging to determine if there is oil underground.
A well is drilled
Identifies hydrocarbon zones, depth, composition, orientation and other properties rock/fluid mixtures
Logging tools
Electrical
Radioactivity
Acoustic
What are 3 main parameters that define the characteristics of a reservoir
Permeability, porosity, water saturation
What defines storage capacity and transmibility of a reservoir
porosity and permeability
The information from a seisimic survey indicates…
The types of rock, their relative depth, and whther a trap is present
What is the equation used to determine porosity
Vp / (Vp + Vg) times 100%
Vp = pore or void volume
Vg = grain volume
Vb = bulk volume of rock
Define Absolute porosity
the ratio of the volume of all pores
(interconnected or not) to the bulk volume of the rock.
Define Effective porosity
the ratio of interconnected pore volume to the
bulk volume of the rock (This is the value which is used in
reservoir engineering calculations).
Define Primary porosity
porosity in a rock due to
sedimentation process.
Define secondary porosity
porosity in a rock due to the
changes which happen after sedimentation process, Ex. fracturing
and re-crystallization.
What are types of porosity measurements when using well logging
The sonic log
The density log
The neutron log
What are types of porosity measurements in the lab
Boyles law porosimeter
Wet and dry weight method
summation of fluids
What is the sonic log equation
θsl = ∆t(sl) - ∆t(ma) / ∆t(f) - ∆t(ma)
∆t(sl) is the value of the acoustic transit time measured by the sonic log, usec / ft
∆t(ma) is the value of the acoustic transit time of the rock matrix measured in the lab, usec / ft
∆t(f) is the value of the acoustic transit time saturating fluid measurements in the lab, usec / ft
θsl is the porosity from the sonic log (log measurements), fraction
What does saturation mean?
fraction, or percent, of the pore volume occupied
by a particular fluid (oil, gas, or water)
What is the fluid saturation equation
fluid saturation equation = total volume of the fluid / pore volume
What does So, Sg, Sw represent
So = oil saturation
Sg = gas saturation
Sw = water saturation
Does the reservoir rock show larger variations in porosity when vertical or horizontal to the bedding planes
Vertically